Twos company, Threes a crowd
by Alison91
Summary: As time goes on in Forks, Bella begins to realise that her love interest may not only be confined to one. How will she cope with her feelings toward others?  story will include BxE and BxJ parts  M for lemons
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, I haven't written in a long time. So heres a go at a new story...**

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Chapter 1

Bella sat in school listening to her teacher talk about Romeo and Juliet for two hours straight. She liked literature but doing it for the second time just bored her.

She had moved from Phoenix, where she had studied Romeo and Juliet before and where she lived with her mother, to stay with her father, in Forks. Cold, rainy Forks. Her mother had a new boyfriend, Phil, who Bella wasn't too keen on. He travelled a lot, but didn't give much explanation as to where he was going or had been. Bella reminisced of one of the days she and her mother sat on the back porch, lounging in the sun when Phil would come out, bags in hand and announce he had _'had some business to take care of'. _He would use the same line every time he left. Bella always thought it made him sound like a gangster or a mafia hit man. But, Phil looked the complete opposite. He was no taller than an average man, but he was slim. He wore glasses and had dark red hair. Not your average fat and dark haired Italian mafia hit man. At first, after Phil would leave, Bella would ask her mother where he was going this time and her mothers' reply was always the same too "Work. He's always working, Phil. His work take advantage of him too much." After a while, Bella grew tired of asking questions, she wasn't sure if her mother knew what Phil done, of if she just believed whatever it was he told her.

Bella's attention was caught by her teacher slamming a textbook down onto her table.

"Bella," Mr Grimshaw said in a raised voice, "What have I told you about not paying attention in my class?"

"I was paying attention." Bella replied. As soon as she had said it, she knew exactly what was coming next. She sat in front of a red-faced Mr Grimshaw waiting for his reply. Her gaze stretched out behind him to notice that the whole class was now focused on her. Great.

"Well, then, what scene are we currently discussing?" Mr Grimshaw's face grew smug. He knew that Bella wasn't paying attention, and would have to admit that to him. If there was one thing that Mr Grimshaw loved more than literature, it was humiliating his students.

"It was, err…" Bella was desperately trying to think of the last thing she heard before she started to think about those sunny days back in Phoenix. She shook her head internally, trying not to be distracted. "Err… Scene…"

"Well...?" Mr Grimshaw had his arms folded tightly across his chest with a huge grin spread across his aged face. Bella could feel her face becoming redder as she rattled her brain. "Ah-h…" Just as Mr Grimshaw was about to gloat and no doubt give Bella detention, she caught sight of Mike, waving his hands furiously behind Mr Grimshaw. Mike motioned the number one with his left hand and five with his right. Bella wasn't exactly sure of what he meant, but she thought it was worth a guess.

"Act one, scene five." She said quickly, cutting Mr Grimshaw off mid-sentence. She watched at the smugness fell from his face and he unfolded his arms.

"Lucky guess…" He muttered as he turned and walked away back to the front of the classroom. Before he could even reach the blackboard the period bell rang and Bella had never been so relieved. It was Friday, and that bell meant it was time to go home. She also knew that her father, Charlie, was going away fishing all weekend and she would be able to have a few friends around to the house – well a few, according to Charlie.

After packing her books away, Bella went over to Mikes desk to thank him for saving her sorry ass. "Hey, Mike. Just want to thank you for saving me. I was totally zoned out for that entire class." She smiled as she slapped Mikes back in a friendly way.

"It was no bother. I know you would do the same for me." Mike grinned hugely. Bella knew that it was likely she wouldn't have done the same for him, but she smiled at him anyway and nodded slightly, before turning to walk away.

"Hey, Bella?" Mike called just at she made it to the door.

"Hm..?" she said as she spun back to see him.

"Do you want to…Go for something to eat this weekend? Or go watch a movie?" There was no way in hell she was going on a date with Mike. He had asked her out many times throughout high school, and still didn't seem to get it that she didn't like him. Mike was quite short for a seventeen year old boy, with some acne and glasses. She didn't mind him too much, as a friend, but she hated it and felt uncomfortable with him when he asked her this stuff.

"I can't this weekend, Mike. My dad's out of town, and I'm having a few friends round for some drinks." Shit. She had always hated how she never thought about what she was going to say before she said it. Now Mike knew about her party, and would want to come."

"Oh…" Mike sighed. Damn it! Bella managed to rotate a quarter turn before guilt enveloped her.

"You can come round for a while if you want…" She said quietly, hoping he wouldn't hear and her guilt would go away so she could leave.

"Really? I've never really been to a party before! I'll be there!" Mike beamed. Great. Mike hustled out of the class room shouting goodbye to Bella on his way.

"Its not a party!" she called after him, but he was already nearly out of sight. Bella let out a huge sigh and slumped against the door frame for a few moments. The school was almost empty already, only a few people still wandering the halls, then she remembered she had to meet Jacob.

Bella rushed down the empty hallway and out to her truck. Her old rusty truck. But she loved it anyway. She sped, well as sped as fast as the old truck would take her to the Quileute reservation where she was meeting her old friend Jacob. She knew him from when she had spent summers here with her dad when she was younger. Charlie and Billy, Jacobs dad, were good friends, so Jacob was always around at her house. Bella pulled the truck over in the parking lot beside Jacob's Rabbit.

"You're late!" He smiled as Bella jumped out of the truck. Bella smiled back as she took in Jacobs new look.

"Your hair! Why did you cut it?" She exclaimed, reaching up to run her hands through his short, spiky doo. Jacobs hair had once been just as long as hers, maybe even longer.

"It's so much easier this way. What? You don't like it?" Jacob put on a mock sad face toward Bella which made her laugh.

"No, no! I _love _it. It actually makes you kind of… sexy." Bella kicked herself internally for blurting her words out again. Jacob smiled his bright white smile against his russet coloured skin. This was the first time Bella had really looked at Jacob properly. Well, it was maybe because she hadn't seen him in over two years, but he had definitely changed.

Jacob and Billy had gone to live in Texas with Billy's father. He was battling cancer and needed all the help he could get. Even though Billy is in a wheelchair, he done everything he could to help him. Sadly though, after a long battle, Billy's father died, and that's why Jacob was back now. This was also the reason that Charlie had gone fishing, to catch up with Billy.

Bella took in Jacobs posture. He was taller, and had more muscles. In fact, when she looked closer, she could actually see panes of his broad chest, the outline of his abs through his tight fitting t-shirt.

"Hey, creepo! My face is up here." Jacob laughed as Bella's head snapped up to look at his face.

"You've grown." Was all she could manage to say. Jacob only smiled and nodded as he threw a large arm around her shoulders and started walking towards the park.

Jacob and Bella walked around the huge park for an hour. Talking about what Jacob went through in Texas, and how Bella had been coping with Forks since she moved here for good.

"Okay, so since you're here anyway, can you do me a huge favour?…" Bella confessed.

"O..kay…" Jacob waited for her to continue.

"Well I'm having a few friends over tonight, and I was going to just steal booze out Charlie's liquor cabinet and face the wrath when he gets home, but since you here, and you're looking so…old, could you, pretty please, buy the booze…please?" Bella twisted her hands together, hoping that she didn't sound like and idiot as she rushed all her words together. Jacob looked at the shop and then back to Bella with a stern look on his face. Then he cracked a huge smile and laughed loudly.

"I'm younger than you!" Jacob exclaimed.

"Only by a few months! But trust me, you don't look 17. Now, are you in? There could be a drink in it for you…" Bella tried to persuade Jacob.

"Hmm…" Jacob held his hand to his chin and walked to his car, pondering with the idea. He opened his car door and sat in the drivers seat, shutting the door behind him.

_Damn._ Bella thought as she watched him start the engine. Jacob rolled his window down so that he could look at Bella in the eye.

"I'm a sucker for a party. Meet me at the shop in Forks… They will all knew me here on the rez." Jacob had reversed his car and was speeding out of the parking lot before Bella had even a chance to think.

"IT'S NOT A PARTY!" She called after him, knowing it would do no good. She stomped to her car and slipped it into reverse. The truck made its usual groaning noise as it reversed but soon she was on her way. As she drove towards the little liquor store in Forks, her phone beeped. She knew she shouldn't text and drive, so she slowed the truck down to 25 so she could read the text.

_You're taking forever, so I just made my way to your house. Don't worry, I let myself in, you still keep a key under the eave. – J_

Bella smiled slightly at Jacobs' intuition as she put her foot to the ground and sped toward her house. When she finally arrived there, she parked the truck and made her way inside. She was welcomed by the smell of pizza.

"Micro pizza," Jacob said as she walked into the kitchen "the best kind." Bella laughed and put her school bag on the worktop noticing the brown bag beside it. She peeked the top, looking at what Jacob had bought.

"TWO bottles of Jack and TWO bottles of vodka?" She exclaimed. That was a lot of hard booze. Bella didn't usually drink much as it was, never mind strong spirits.

"Bella, you cant have a party if you don't have the basics." Jacob explained as he was scoffing his pizza.

"It's NOT a party!"

"Wow. Chill out, Bella." She took a few deep breaths.

"I'm calm." She admitted as she took a seat, realising that they didn't have to drink _all_ the booze tonight.

"Okay, now stay calm," Jacob held his hands up in front of him and this time it was his words that were rushed, "okay, I'm sorry, I thought it was a party so I've invited a whole bunch of my boys up tonight, and I've promised them a party." By now Jacobs hands were almost covering his face. Miraculously, Bella stayed calm and took in Jacobs words.

"Okay. Well then, you'd better help me get all of the breakable stuff upstairs into Charlie's closet."

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**Okay so I cut this chapter off kind of soon because its late but I really wanted to upload tonight, so next chapter will be whats going on at the party.**

**Please review, they inspire me to write more :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Where there are Lines in the story, this is where there is a point of view change :)**

Chapter 2

Charlie didn't own that many vases or fine china, but when Bella and Jacob had removed everything possible of breaking from the living room it was almost 5:30pm.

Bella made a quick last scan of the kitchen and living room to make certain that there was nothing left to take upstairs, and when she was sure she picked up the small pile of photo frames and headed up to Charlie's room. As she pushed through the door she caught Jacob standing at Charlie's dresser (which had been left here ever since her mom had left when she was 3) sniffing some cologne.

"This reeks…does Charlie actually wear this stuff?" Jacob teased as Bella sat the pictures on the dresser beside him.

"Uh…Yeah. I got him that for Christmas last year." Bella admitted nervously. Jacob looked a little uneasy, but after a moment a wide smile broke across his face as he mock punched Bella's arm.

"You shoulda seen your face Bells! I was just jokin' ya! I've got this cologne at my house." Jacob said as he let his huge arm rest over Bella's shoulders. Bella couldn't be sure if he was telling the truth or he was just trying to make her feel better, but she let out a nervous laugh and suddenly became aware of Jacobs' hand gently holding her left shoulder. Bella looked down and grabbed up the first picture she saw and held it up to Jacob, shrugging out of his grip nonchalantly.

"Look," Bella said, "do you remember this? This was the day that Charlie and Billy took you and I to Seattle for 'a fun day out'." Bella lifted her arms and implied emphasis with her fingers as she spoke.

"Yeah, it turned out they just wanted to watch the football since your TV was broken."

"It was raining so hard, and we sat in that dingy sports bar all afternoon! We were so bored that we snuck away from them and went outside to make mud pies in the rain. Charlie was so angry that he had to get his cruiser dirty when he took us home." Bella laughed as she remembered Charlies face. Jacob laughed too, but it didn't seem to be at Charlie.

As their laughter subsided, Bella found herself looking into Jacobs eyes. They were brown, not like the mud-brown of her own eyes, but a deep, dark chocolate colour. His eyes were framed with thick lashes that she was envious of. Bella snapped back to reality and broke eye-contact with him.

"So…How many of your friends are coming tonight? And when?" Bella asked as she motioned to the door to leave Charlie's room.

"Uh…I asked Quil, Embry and Paul. I uh… I also promised them there were gonna be chicks here… And they said they would be here at about 7pm." Jacob scratched the back of his neck as he looked anywhere but Bella's eyes as they made their way into her room.

Bella mock sighed and laughed before she answered him "I don't know if my friends are into younger guys!"

"Age is just a number, Bella." Jacob was serious when he spoke, but laughed at the end, which put Bella at ease.

"Well… I asked Jessica and Angela to come…And I had to invite Mike, this dork in my English class… I had to!" Bella explained the situation from today's English lesson and how Mike had helped her so she felt obliged to invite him. "Okay, well it looks like there's going to be a few people here! I better get ready." Bella turned on her heel as she left her room and headed to the bathroom. She turned on the shower and undressed, stepping into the shower letting the hot water was over her.

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Jacob slowly walked around Bella's room and looked at the pictures of the two of them when they were younger that were on her wall. A picture of Bella with a cast on her arm reminded him of the summer Bella had visited and the two of them went into the woods to see who could climb the highest in a tree. Unfortunately Bella slipped when she stood on a mossy branch and fell to the ground. Jacob remembered almost falling himself as he tried to catch her but she was out of his reach. Bella cried all the way home, and Jacob had to carry her most of the way. Jacob was glad that Bella had moved back to Forks, and he wouldn't just see her for two weeks in summer.

As he made his way around the room he stopped at the front window and watched as the wind blew outside in the trees. A silver Volvo drove past the house. Jacob couldn't see into the tinted windows, but he couldn't help a feeling of unease inside him. The feeling didn't subside until the car was far out of sight. He shrugged the feeling of as something he had eaten, or not eaten. He decided to make his way downstairs and make his second micro pizza.

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Bella could hear Jacob turn on the cd player downstairs in preparation for the party. She hoped that Charlie would never find out, otherwise she would be grounded for weeks. She pulled on a pair of faded jeans and a red blouse – one of the only smart-ish blouses she owned, the rest of her t-shirts were either plain or old merch t-shirts from gigs.

She looked at her watch as she made her way downstairs, 6.55pm. She entered the kitchen and Jacob thrust a cup in her direction. The liquid inside was clear, so she guessed on vodka and lemonade. She smiled slightly trying to act as if she weren't nervous – but she was. She brought the cup to her mouth mimicking Jacob. She could smell the alcohols strong scent wafting out of the cup. Jacob took a gulp, she noticed he strained his neck a tiny bit as he swallowed, showing that he didn't like the taste of it either. Bella took a small sip and she felt the burning sensation as it trickled down her throat. Then the doorbell rang out through the house. She made her way to the door and opened it to three tall boys – Quil, Embry and Paul. She welcomed them in and they made their way straight to the kitchen to start pouring themselves drinks.

Soon after the doorbell rang again, Jessica and Angela were at the front of a crowd of 3 guys and 2 other girls that Bella only knew of through school. James Freewood, Tyler Flack and Brad McCulloch were the guys, Caroline Smith and Candice Crow. They were in no way friends with Bella, and had never made an effort to be. Angela's face was saying 'I'm sorry' but Jessica's was one of sheer excitement as she bustled past Bella and made her way inside. Bella noticed the brown bags that some of the unacquainted guests were holding – even more alcohol she assumed.

"I'm so sorry, Bella," Angela said once everyone was inside. "Jessica took my phone off me in the car so I couldn't warn you that she had invited them. She said it would be a 'nice surprise'." Bella knew that it wasn't Angela's fault.

"It's okay. I'd be dead if Charlie caught me anyway, so I suppose there's no harm in a few other people." Bella tried to smile as she raised her cup to her mouth, this time taking a big gulp and exhaling a long breath afterwards.

"I thought you said this wasn't a party, Bella?" Jacobs voice came from behind her. She turned and seen him smiling holding a cup towards Angela. He was being a better host than she was. Angela looked wearily at the cup – she wasn't one for drinking, even worse than Bella – but she took the cup politely and smiled, making her way over to Jessica. Bella noticed, though, that she didn't drink from the cup.

"It wasn't supposed to be one. Jessica brought those douchebags. I don't even speak to them!" Bella proclaimed.

"Don't worry, Bells. If they get rowdy, me and my boys will throw them out." Jacob smiled, looking pleased with himself. Bella smiled thankfully and relaxed a little taking another drink from her cup.

By the time she had finished her drink, she began to feel a warm feeling in her gut. She kinda liked it, but she knew she should slow down with her drinks from now on.

A few hours passed and Bella had socialised with everyone at the party. Well, almost everyone, she still hadn't spoken to Tyler, James or Brad. Caroline and Candice had passed some comments on to her about her party being 'better than they expected'. Bella had only smiled politely before they moved over to gush over Jacob and his friends. It was obvious they thought the boys were older – maybe college guys. It was also obvious that the boys didn't bring up their age for that purpose.

Bella started to feel a little light headed so she decided to grab a cup of water from the kitchen and head upstairs away from the noise for a bit. She got into her room and let out a little sigh as she closed the door behind her. She made her way over to the front window and opened it a little so that the breeze washed over her face. She was grateful that it was a cool night, as the cold air helped clear her head. She lay her head on her arm at the window ledge and closed her eyes for a few moments. She thought about nothing as her eyes became a little heavier.

She only opened her eyes when she faintly heard the door opening behind her. She turned around to see who had come in, expecting Jacob to checking she was okay. But it was Tyler Flack. Maybe he was lost trying to get to the bathroom.

"Bathroom's on the right at the top of the stairs." She said as she spun back to face the window.

"I actually came to find you. I noticed you weren't even enjoying your own party." Tyler said as he made his way over to sit at Bella's desk behind her. She turned again to look at him, bewildered that this was the first time he had spoken to her all night – or since starting Forks High School.

"Yeah, I'll be coming back down soon, just wanted a little air." She said, trying to smile. She didn't like Tyler, but she felt it would be rude not to smile.

"Well I was hoping we could stay up here for a while… I've never had the chance to talk to you before. And there's no way I'll be able to hear anything down there, the music is so loud!" He said, as he stood and made his way over to her bed and perched on the side. But Bella just stayed in her seat by the window. "So," he continued "are you having a good night? I brought you up another drink by the way." He said as he motioned toward the cup he left on her desk.

"Thanks, but I've already drank too much…already." Bella could feel herself start to fumble over her words, the cold air wasn't helping as much as she hoped.

"Alright." He smiled, standing again and moving over to pick up the cup and drink it himself. He finished the lot in a few seconds, and sat it back down on the desk." Bella just watched as he made his way over to the window and look out into the street. "Nice view from here."

Bella didn't know how to reply. This guy had never spoken to her before and he comes into her house and doesn't speak to her for hours, then he comes into her room and talks about the view. She looked up from her lap and noticed that Tyler wasn't looking out of the window, but down at her. _Nice view from here_ he said. Bella instinctively pulled her blouse together at the collar and tried to stand up, but Tyler put out his thick arm and blocked her between himself and the window. She could feel his breath on her face, smell the alcohol on it too.

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"Tyler, no…"

Jacob sat with Quil and Paul on the couch, Caroline was wedged in between them all. She kept trying to move even closer – if it were possible – to him. She asked about why she'd never seen him before, where he went to school, but he only answered her with enough information that he thought was polite. He couldn't be bothered with drunk chicks, and he wished that she would go and torment Paul instead. He could tell that Paul was jealous, anyway.

Jacob watched as Bella walked upstairs, she held one hand at her head. She was such a lightweight, he laughed to himself. Luckily, a bad song came on and he managed to escape from Caroline to move over to change the song. He took his time flipping through the songs, hoping that Caroline would decide to move on to someone else. When he turned around, he thanked God that she had decided to bother Paul. He knew Paul would be pleased.

Jacob made his way through to the kitchen to get a refill. As he walked through each room, he noticed Bella still hadn't come back down from the toilet. He poured another drink and noticed two of the jocks in the kitchen, talking about football. It was then that he wondered where the third jock had disappeared to. He picked up his cup and walked through the hallway, peering into the downstairs rooms on his way to the stairs trying to locate him. He quickly bounded up the stairs and the first thing he noticed was the bathroom door was swung open wide, revealing no one inside.

"Tyler, no…" The voice was faint, but he recognised immediately where it was coming from – and who the voice belonged to. It took Jacob only a few steps to get to Bellas room, he burst the door open and laid his eyes on Tyler at the window.

One arm was swung around Bella, pressing her to the window. His other hand cupped the back of her head as his big meaty head was thrust into her face. He could see her small hands pulling and his arms. He could hear her whimpers. Then he locked his eyes with Bella's frantic ones. It was like a wave of fury washed over Jacob, then. He bounded over to Tyler and threw a large hand onto his shoulder, pulling him around to view Jacob.

"Hey, man! Little privacy here!" Tyler shouted as he tried to turn back to Bella.

"The only privacy you'll be getting is in a private room in the hospital." Jacob said as, this time, he pulled Tyler back from Bella and threw a large fist at Tylers' face. Jacob couldn't help but hit him, over and over. The fury that engulfed him was like nothing he had felt before. He ignored Tylers' shouts, screams for help. He even heard Bella telling him to stop, but he ignored her too.

It was only when someone pulled him from Tyler that Jacob was able to stop. Paul stood behind him with wide eyes, pulling Jacobs arms back so that he couldn't attack Tyler again. Then, James and Brad followed by Quil and Embry bustled into Bellas room.

"Hey! What the hell is going on?" James shouted as he rushed over to Tyler's side. He stood up, with Brad at his side and faced up to Jacob and Paul. Jacob struggled to throw another punch at one of the other two jocks, but Paul held his arms tight. Embry and Quil stepped in front of Jacob.

"I think it's time for you to leave." Embry said, calmly. Brad and James noticed that they were outnumbered by Jacob and his friends and backed away. The picked up a barely awake Tyler off the ground and ushered him round the four girls standing in the doorway. Jacob listened and heard them shutting the front door, and it was only then that he felt Paul's grip loosen on his arms. Jacob looked up at Bella. Her face was that of shock and fear, but also relief and gratitude. Jacob heard Paul speaking to the rest of the girls who still stood at the door, with their eyes on Jacob's blood stained shirt.

"I think it's best if we call it a night, ladies." He said. Jacob heard as they all left the room. Only Paul stayed behind.

"Bella, Jacob, are you okay?" Bella nodded slightly, never braking her eye contact with Jacob.

"I'm fine. Make sure those girls get home okay. I'll speak to you tomorrow." Jacob said. He felt his face softening, and his body beginning to relax. He heard Paul turn to leave. "Paul?" Jacob said, this time turning from Bella to look in Paul's direction.

"Hm?" Paul replied.

"Thanks." Jacob knew that if Paul hadn't intervened, Tyler might not be alive right now.

"It's okay. See you." Paul said, a muscle twitched at the corner of his mouth as if he wanted to say something else, but he just turned and made his way out of the house.

Jacob turned back to Bella. His face, he could feel, was of regret and fear. Fear that Bella would be disgusted by the way he attacked Tyler, fear that she would tell him to leave too. As he turned back to her, he noticed she had sank to the ground, her arms hugging her knees. He took a few steps toward her and sat beside her, swinging his arms around her shoulder and pulling her close to him. It was then that the sobs began to break from Bella's mouth. Her arms clung around his waist and she buried her face into his neck. He could feel her tears wetting his neck and t-shirt.

They sat there, unmoving, not speaking, until Bella's tears had subsided. Once they had, Jacob gently cupped her face and pulled it up so he could see her. Her eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot. Her cheeks were wet and puffy, splotched with redness. He gently wiped her cheeks with his thumbs and kissed her hair. He moved his arms around her and pulled her up to her feet and shuffled her to the bed. She perched on the side as Jacob went to her dresser and pulled out a pair of pyjama shorts and the first t-shirt that came to his fingers. He noticed it was an old Seattle Seahawks football top of his that he had given to her when he left to move to Texas. He laid the clothes beside her on the bed and left the room, giving her time to change. He made his way slowly downstairs and poured a glass of water for Bella. He looked at his hands, and decided to wash the bloodstains off them before he made his way back to Bella's room. He knocked before he went inside, but she was already under her covers. Her eyes were still open, but she looked tired. He placed the glass on her bedside cabinet, kissed her again on her hair and turned to leave the room.

"Don't go." Her voice was croaky from crying, and barely audible but it stopped him in his tracks. He turned back to her and she brought one corner of her mouth up into a smile.

She pulled the covers up on the other side of her double bed and Jacob made his way around to it. He took off his blood stained top – not wanting anything to do with Tyler near her and slid into the bed beside her. He stayed well on his own side of the bed as he watched her arm slip out from under the covers to turn off her bedside lamp. And the room was in darkness. Jacob lay still as he felt Bella toss a little, getting comfortable. Then he felt her small hand slide over and grab his own. She pulled him closer to her and wrapped his arm around her own waist so he was hugging her from behind. Slowly he felt Bella relax, slipping into a deep sleep.

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**A/N: Please review if you like the story. Your thoughts encourage me to write faster! Thanks :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Bella woke up with the sun beating on her through the window. She squinted as she opened her eyes a little and stretched her legs and arms. Suddenly she realised she wasn't alone in her bed.

Flashbacks of the night before ran dizzily through her head. _The party, Jessica and her friends…Jessica's friends…Tyler…Tyler in her room_. She froze in position, too afraid to turn around to be faced with Tyler. She searched around the room, hoping for an escape route from the huge arm that was holding her prisoner in her own bed. Her eyes stopped on a white t-shirt lying on her bedroom floor. She strained her eyes to see it better and noticed that there were flecks of blood spattered on it. Bella's mind raced through last night's events again. _Sitting by the window…Tyler kissing her…then, Jacob came in._ Bella let her eyes loll to the side without moving and inch. She could feel her full body relax when she laid eyes on Jacob's russet skin and dark hair. He looked peaceful sleeping, lightly snoring. Bella couldn't believe she had been so lucky to find a friend like Jacob. If it wasn't for Jacob…Who knows what could have happened last night.

She could feel the heat radiating from Jacobs huge frame lying beside her. She wanted to lie beside him all day, because she felt safe wrapped in his arms. But she knew that Charlie would be home soon and she had to clean away any evidence of last nights' party.

Bella slid out of Jacobs' arms stealthily so he wouldn't wake up. As she replaced the duvet over where she lay, Jacob stirred a little, rolling over onto his side and mumbling something unintelligible. Bella smiled as she tip-toed out of the room and downstairs to the kitchen.

As she cleaned, and tidied away all the glasses and bottles she thought over and over in her mind what Jacob had done for her. He had risked himself for her. Tyler was big, and older than Jacob was. Yet, Jacob had showed no fear in standing up to him. In fact, Bella had never seen that look on Jacobs' face before. She had seen Jacob get mad through the years. Like when he found out his old girlfriend Leah had kissed Paul when they were dating. Jacob and Paul fought it out, but a few hours later they were friends again, like nothing had happened. Jacob had dumped Leah, and Paul knew not to pursue her, for a while at least. But apart from that, nothing had changed.

Although, this wasn't the same kind of anger she had seen on Jacobs' face the night before. It was if he had no expression at all, but all his rage and anger was emanating from his eyes, boring holes into Tyler as he punched him over and over. The blood poured from Tyler's nose. Bella remembered shouting at Jacob to stop, but it was as if he hadn't even heard her, even though she had been no more than three feet from him.

As Bella rattled this through her mind over and over, she had begun to bring down the frames from Charlie's room. She placed them in their rightful place over the fireplace and on the window ledge. The sun was shining outside – a change from the overcast, rainy days that usually hung over Forks.

"Ahem." Jacob cleared his throat from behind her which made Bella jump before she spun around to face him. "You forgot this." He said, holding up a signed baseball sitting in its own little cradle.

"Oh, God! That's the first this is the first thing Charlie would notice was missing!" Bella took the signed ball from Jacob and placed it, proudly, on the cabinet near the door. Charlie had tactically placed it there so that anyone coming into the house would notice it.

"Thanks." Bella said, looking up at Jacob.

"It was nothing. I peeked into Charlie's room to see if you needed a hand and spotted it on the dresser. You should've woke me up, I would have helped you tidy up." Jacob said, as he rubbed his sleepy eyes.

"I wasn't talking about that. I meant…last night." Bella felt a little embarrassed, but she didn't know why, entirely. She felt the need to apologise before Jacob even had the chance to speak, "I shouldn't have drank so much. I knew it was a bad idea to bring alcohol…but I just wanted everyone to have a good time, and I just took it too far…I made it easy for him to take advantage…I'm such an idiot sometimes!" Her apology came out rushed and it sounded like her words had all merged into one. She kicked herself internally for being such an idiot.

"Bella, Bella! Calm down. First of all, you don't have to apologise. What happened last night was _not_ your fault. You can't blame yourself for what that asshole done. He did take advantage of you, but that's not your fault either! You were just trying to have a good time. And if you hadn't brought alcohol to the party, people would have thought you were a loser." By the end of Jacobs' speech a smile had cracked over his face. Bella playfully punched him on the arm and then stood on her tip-toes to wrap her arms around his neck.

"Thank you, though, Jacob. I don't know what I would do without you." She squeezed a little tighter before letting go and grinning at him. Jacob smiled a tight-lipped smile back at her as his response.

"So, if it's not too much to ask…could I get _another _favour, Jacob?"

"Hmmm…Go on then…" Jacob answered, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms dramatically.

"Could you please hide all those bottles of booze in your car before Charlie sees them and has a fit? You can throw them away when you're on your way back to the rez."

"Sure…But only if you make me breakfast."

"It's a deal!"

A few hours later Bella and Jacob were sprawled on the couch, flipping mindlessly through the endless TV channels, when Charlie came in. The three of them talked for a while about Charlie's fishing trip before Jacob decided to go home to see his dad.

Bella walked with Jacob to the door, "You're in the clear. Charlie doesn't suspect a thing." Jacob said in a hushed voice as he stepped outside.

"Thanks again, Jacob. For everything." Bella said, grateful. "I'll see you soon?"

"You bet. I'll call you tomorrow! See ya!" Jacob called over his shoulder as he made his way to his Rabbit.

Bella stood in the doorway until Jacob was out of site. She watched the birds outside flying around the tree tops of the woods in front of her. She watched silently as they swooped down and landed on the low branches. Suddenly, without warning it seemed, a cloud of birds rose from the trees and fled into the air. _How odd _she thought. She assumed that something that she couldn't see must have scared them, and she began to take a backward step inside. Before the door was fully closed she noticed a silver Volvo drive past. The windows were tainted so dark it was impossible to see who was inside. Surely those tints were dark enough to be illegal. She watched the car drive past. She had never seen it before, which was strange. In such a small town, not many people used cars a lot. And certainly not brand new ones at that. When the car was out of site, Bella found herself on the returning birds for a few moments more, before closing the door and heading upstairs.

She was still tired from the night before, so she lay on her bed and closed her eyes. It wasn't like her to take afternoon naps…Charlie might get suspicious. But she didn't care. She let her tiredness consume her and she felt herself fall into sleep.

_Bella dreamed she was in the woods. She could tell she was deep into the woods, as she couldn't see any sign of her house, or a road or a lamp… nothing. The only light that she could see was coming from high above her head, shining down through the thick branches. The moon was full tonight, and it looked bigger than normal. Bella walked slowly through the night, trying not to trip over the thick underbrush, hoping she was walking in the right direction. She looked ahead to see a pair of yellow eyes watching her from a branch not that far in the distance. At first she was stunned and stood still, before realising that it was only an owl. Soon after seeing the owl, Bella started to notice other night animals wandering around. She noticed a red fox sniffing around in the dirt, a badger pawing at the bottom of a tree, and when she strained her eyes she could even make out the little hedgehogs that moved slowly on the woodland floor. She thought it odd that none of the animals seemed aware of her presence, so she took a moment to watch them…she'd never get a chance like this again. After a few moments, all of the night animals turned to face her. If it were possible, she would say there was a look of shock or fear on their faces, but she had no idea what she had done to startle them. The owl flew away, the badger and the fox made a quick escape in the opposite direction, and the little hedgehogs curled up so that they were each little balls of spines. It was then that Bella became aware that the animals were not afraid of her. There was someone else out here in the woods with her. She began to run, trying to get away from her unknown pursuer. Soon she became out of breath but she stumbled on, rasping for air. She didn't know who was behind her, but she had an idea…Tyler. She had to get away from him, but she knew that he would outrun her eventually. Just as Bella decided to stop running and hide, she ran straight into Jacob. He was only wearing a pair of old denim shorts. His abs were solid as she was about to throw her arms around him in thanks that she wasn't alone. But before she got the chance to, Jacob bounded forward, almost animal like himself, into the darkness. Bella shouted at him to come back, but he never did._

Bella bolted upright in her bed, she could feel sweat gathering on her forehead and on her palms. As she regained her breath she shook the nightmare from her mind and swung her legs from the bed. Remembering she had homework to do for Monday, she figured there was no time like the present, as she pulled her books out from her backpack and started reading _Romeo and Juliet_ where they had left off in class.

Sunday had went by pretty uneventfully. Jacob had called to tell Bella that he had to take his dad to Seattle so he wouldn't be able to see her. Angela had texted to see if Bella was okay. But there had been no word from Jessica.

Bella found herself doing non-existent housework to fill her day. She cleaned and dusted the places that she had only done the day before. She made Charlie – who was watching TV most of the day – his lunch, dinner and supper before the day finally ground to an end.

When Bella slipped into bed again on Sunday evening, she was afraid of having another nightmare. But soon the fear drifted away, and Bella slipped into a dreamless sleep.

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**A/N: Okay so not that much happened in this chapter, but I feel it was a necessary one! Okay so Edward will be coming into it soon (Though he sorta already is...as if we dont know who drives a silver Volvo! But Bella doesnt...). Also this chapter wasnt that long, but I thought it was better to cut it off here rather than try to rush in some unneeded BS!**

**So...next chapter should be up soon, and things will begin to heat up... Literally.**

**Please review! Thanks - Alison**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Bella woke up when she heard Charlie walking to the front door and closing it behind him. Another early morning at the station. Recently, Charlie had been putting in a lot of hours at work. Bella rolled over and looked at her alarm clock – 7.15am. She decided it was time to get up and get ready for another week of school.

At school, Bella found she was a bit of a loner. She had friends – Angela, Ben and, sometimes unfortunately, Jessica, though she sometimes hung around with Candice and Caroline in an attempt to be accepted into their circle – who she sat with at lunch. There were others, acquaintances, that she seldom spoke to in class or at lunch, but she never really felt that any of them were real friends. They didn't get her. _Not like Jacob does_ she thought.

Bella had Calculus first period. She sat beside Jessica in calculus, _this will be interesting_ Bella thought to herself. She walked through the crowded corridors, navigating her way to her first class of the day. Mike waved at her from across the hall, making his way in her direction. Bella smiled, but kept walking, hoping that he wouldn't follow her. But she wasn't so lucky.

"Bella! Bella!" Mike called from behind her. She tried to ignore him. "Bella!" But he was starting to draw attention to her. She spun on her heel and Mike was practically running so fast to catch her to all but ran right into her.

"Sorry!" Mike apologised, "I just wanted to say sorry for missing your party on Friday night. My mom said it would be best for me to stay in, and she was probably right. I didn't know you had invited Tyler, Brad and James." He said the three names in a hushed voice as if he didn't want anyone to hear him speak about them. Which was probably good because Mike was prone to getting picked on by the three jocks.

"I didn't invite them." Bella said bluntly, forcing the images that came flooding into her mind away.

"I heard there was a fight! I'm glad I didn't come, I wouldn't want to be involved in something like that!" Mike said animatedly. Bella laughed internally at Mike for ever thinking he could or would get involved in the fight at her house. "No offence, Bella, but your friend Jason sounds like a bit of a bully."

"His name is Jacob. And what do you mean bully?" Bella could feel her blood begin to boil already. Rumours spread like wildfire at Forks High. Bella assumed in the past it was because nothing ever happened in Forks, so when someone got hold of any gossip, they couldn't help but tell everyone else. She thought that those with the gossip loved having the attention of the rest of the school so much, that they probably fabricated it to make sure their listeners were enticed by their story.

"Well, I heard about what he done to Tyler. Tyler isn't even in school today he beat him so bad!" Mikes' eyes were wide as he spoke. "I know he's your friend, Bella, but maybe you should be careful around him. Someone with such short tendencies, like him, is dangerous. He could snap for no reason again, and it might be toward you next time."

Bella wanted to grab Mike by the shoulders and give him a good shake. But she knew it wasn't his fault, he was only retelling the story that he had been told.

"Who told you this?" Bella could barely move as her anger ran through her whole body.

"Well…I…No one in particular. I was at my locker, and I heard a bunch of girls talking about it. I wasn't eavesdropping…they were just talking loudly. It was impossible not…"

"Who was it?" Bella cut Mike off mid-sentence.

"Candice, Caroline and their friends." Mike said the names wearily. As soon as Bella got the information she needed from Mike she turned on her heel again and made her way to Calculus. Because Bella had spent so much time talking to Mike, the bell started to ring when she was only half way to the classroom. She quickened her step and arrived a few minutes late.

Jessica was sitting at their usual table and beamed a huge smile at her when she walked into the class. Bella had to stop herself from walking straight up to her and slapping that stupid grin off her face. She sat down beside Jessica and pulled her books from her backpack.

"Ughh… I soo can't be bothered with calculus today! Mr McColl is _soo_ boring!" Jessica said, the same thing she said every Monday morning.

Bella didn't answer her. She couldn't. She knew if she did she might scream at her in the middle of the class.

"Bella? Are you okay?" Jessica said, eyeing Bella's fingers clenched around her pencil.

"What do _you _think?" Bella said, she could taste the poison in her words.

"Wh…What?"

"You invited your stupid little _'friends'_ to my house on Friday night without even asking me, then Tyler harassed me! I'm lucky Jacob was there to help me, otherwise who knows what Tyler would have tried to do! And now when I come into school, I hear that you've all made up a little story in that Jacob is the bad guy. That _Jacob_ reacted without cause! Who do you think you are?" Bella spoke in a quietened voice, so as not to attract the attention of Mr McColl.

"I…Wh…Tyler was just drunk! It wouldn't have gone any further! You know that." Jessica rebutted in the same tone.

"I can't believe you are _defending_ him!" Bella had raised her voice without even noticing.

"Miss Swan! Quieten down. Pay attention!" Mr McColl shouted from the bottom of the room, though Bella hardly took any notice. Jessica turned from Bella and picked up her pencil as if she was paying attention to the lesson, but Bella didn't move.

"You are supposed to be my friend, Jessica. But I can see where your loyalties lie." Bella still hadn't lowered her voice. The whole class was now staring in her direction.

"MISS SWAN! Take yourself out of my classroom to calm yourself down. Don't come back this period." Bella was actually relieved Mr McColl had sent her out of the room, she knew she wouldn't be able to sit with Jessica for a full hour and not say anything. Bella picked up her books as quick as she could and threw them into her bag, shoved her stickynotes into her pocket, and made her way for the door. "Oh and Bella," Mr McColl continued when she reached the door, "I'll see you back here for detention at 3pm." Bella didn't stop walking and made her way out to the corridor.

She walked down the east hallway and out to the school grounds. It was a cold day, _winter was well on its way _she thought. Not that there was much difference in the weather throughout the seasons in Forks. Only winter was colder. She walked around the school until she reached the parking lot, then she made her way to her car. She pulled out her cell and brought up Jacobs number.

_I'm having the worst day ever and it's not even 9.15am yet! Hope your day is going better than mines. I'll call you later – B x _

Bella hit send and rolled her head back to lean on the headrest on the seat. She couldn't believe Jessica had stuck up for Caroline and Candice, and even worse… she had stuck up for Tyler! She tried not to think about it because every time she did she got wound up again.

Suddenly, Bella's phone vibrated in her hand. Expecting a reply from Jacob she opened the text without reading the name.

_I'm sorry, Bella. But you didn't see Tyler. He was beat up real bad. By the time James and Brad got him to the hospital they said he was barely even recognisable! He has a broken nose, fractured cheekbone AND broken ribs. Never mind black eyes and burst lip. Tyler was just drunk. He didn't deserve what Jacob did to him. Jacob could have just asked him to leave…or something. Jacob is just lucky that Tyler isn't pressing charges on him. See you at lunch x – Jess._

Bella laughed at the irony in Jessica's choice of words 'I'm sorry' she was anything but sorry! And 'See you at lunch x', that was going to be damn near impossible when Bella had already decided she wasn't going to be attending lunch. And the rest of the school day for that matter.

Bella turned the key in the ignition and listened to the old truck spurt to life. She backed it out of the lot and made her way back to Forks. Charlie wouldn't be home, so he wouldn't find out she skipped school until later. She would deal with it later. For now she just wanted to be away from Forks High and all the people in it.

When she arrived at the house, she cut the engine and pulled her bag out of the passenger seat and into the house with her. She noticed there was a message on the answering machine so she hit play as she made her way past and flopped onto the couch.

"Hi, Bella. Just letting you know, I will probably be home late tonight. There's been a…uh, well there's a lot going on down here today and I need to stay here. I won't be home for dinner. You should go down to Jacob and Billy's instead of eating alone or something… I'm sorry for working late, I feel like I leave you alone too much! You should be with people, call your friends and go into Port Angeles or something… Take money from the emergency jar if you need some. Maybe that will help make up for me working so much. Have a good night, Bells. I love ya..." Then the message tone beeped. Bella smiled at her dad. He never was great at leaving messages.

So at least Charlie wouldn't be in until late tonight, she might not even have to deal with his lectures about skipping school until tomorrow. Well she hoped anyway. Bella turned on the TV and started flipping through them.

Once settled on E! she made her way to the kitchen and decided to make herself some soup. She poured the lentil liquid into a saucepan and lit Charlie's old gas stove. Only it didn't light. Bella pulled out the matches from the drawer beside her and held the flame near the gas burner and it lit easily, popping the small box into her pocket absentmindedly. Once her soup was ready, she poured it in a mug and made her way back to the couch.

After a few hours of watching unfunny sitcoms and embarrassing chat shows Bella decided to go for a walk to kill some time. She would visit Jacob later, around dinner time, like Charlie said, but it was still early, Jacob would still be at school.

She pulled on her coat and boots and locked the door behind her. Bella knew exactly where she was going to go. She had found this place with Jacob when they were younger. And Bella made regular trips here throughout the years with and without Jacob.

She made her way over to the woods and took a deep breath as she took the first step inside. Bella wasn't frightened of the woods, she could make her way easily to the spot. But her mind raced over her nightmare from Saturday afternoon. She pushed those thoughts away, it was still daylight! And she trudged through the thick underbrush. Usually the ground was soggy, but Bella noticed it was unusually dry today. She didn't complain, as it made the journey to the spot way easier.

Finally she reached the spot she was looking for. It was a small clearing, no bigger than a few square meters. It was secluded, thick bushes surrounded the little spot, and fallen logs made, what seemed like perfect seats. Bella sat down on one of the naturally formed seats and just watched what was going on around her. She watched trees swaying in the breeze and leaves falling and fluttering to the forest floor.

She had lost track of how long she had been sitting in the woods before she became aware of how cold it was getting. Bella stuffed her hands in her pockets to keep them warm, but her fingers came into contact with a small box. She pulled the matches from her pocket and instantly stood, looking around for some decent firewood.

She didn't know the first thing about building fires, but she assumed it couldn't be that hard. Once she had gathered some dried up branches that she thought would work, she placed them in as best a pyramid shape she could make. She held out the matchbox and took a match from inside. She struck it against the sandpaper and held it in amongst the small sticks around the bottom of her pyramid. When the match burned down she dropped it and watched as it finally burned out, making not impression on the small pieces of wood.

She needed something to light to make a better flame before she lit the twigs. She stuffed her hand into her jacket pocket again and pulled out her small pad of stickynotes.

Shortly after lighting the stickynotes, the branches took light and Bella pushed them closer to the pyramid with another branch. Within a few minutes the pyramid was burning brightly, and Bella had a proud feeling inside her.

She held her hands out to the fire to warm them. The heat radiating from the fire was massaging her ice cold hands. She was warmed up in no time and lay across one of the fallen logs on her back. She looked straight up at the sky, all she could really see were the tree tops and then above them, a sheet of white could. No spots of the blue sky in sight. She watched the trees swaying back and forth…back and forth…back…forth…and soon her eyes closed on her as she fell asleep.

_Bella was in school again. Though this time, there was no one there. The corridors were empty. She walked through, confused why no one was around. She looked at her watch and realised it was 5.30pm. So that's why no one was here. But then, why was she there? Bella made her way out of the school and around to the parking lot. Though, as if things weren't strange enough, her car wasn't in the lot. There was a silver car in the distance though. It was so far away though, that it didn't look like it was even in the school parking lot. It was probably parked out on the road. So, there was no alternative but to start walking home. She started trudging up the main road that lead through Forks and to her home. But, it would be at least 45 minutes before she got home. Bella knew she could half that time if she cut through the woods. She wasn't positive of the way, but she decided to chance it. As she made her way through the woods, she realised it began to get dark…fast. She quickened her pace and hoped that she would see the street lights of the street leading to hers soon. As the light fell from the sky, and temperature fell even more. Bella broke into a jog, hoping to keep herself warm this way. She jogged for a while and soon enough sweat broke on her forehead. Her jogging plan was working, it was keeping her warm. She kept going, at an even pace, but soon she was too hot. The sweat was not just on her forehead but all over her face, her hands…her entire body felt hot. Bella stopped running, but found herself gasping for air. Her air tasted foul. She gasped and panted, trying to find decent air. Stumbling forward, away from this smell. A smell she couldn't put her finger on, but it stung her eyes. Her lungs burned like a smoker after a 100m race…A smoker…Smoke._

Bella's eyes opened and were instantly stung by clouds of smoke enveloping her. She wanted to sit up, to stand and run. But she was weak. Her eyes stung but she opened them once more to see the flames burning brightly around her. Licks drew up the trees, and the shrubs around her were all but gone. Then before her eyes closed one final time, they lay upon a silhouette in front of her.

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**So! I did say things would start to heat up..!(Haha okay, bad pun!) I realise quite a lot of you are reading this story which I am so thankful for. But I am still pretty low on reviews, show the love people! **

**~Alison**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Wind blew through Bella's hair, whipping and curling it around her face. She was still barely conscious, but she could just make out the feeling of hard arms cradling around her, though it was beyond her to open her eyes. They still stung badly from the fire. The fire! Bella remembered seeing flames licking up the trees around her and she forced her eyes open. It was dark now, and she could hardly even make out the features of the person carrying her. She let her eyes roll to the side, and she noticed that whoever was carrying her was running extremely fast. Faster than anyone she'd ever seen.

"Stop." Bella's voice rasped. Bella noticed the person above her look down, though she couldn't make out their features, she could faintly make out their pale skin. They slowed down, and came to a stop.

Bella's rescuer set her down gently on a large stone. She felt around to get her balance as she tried to stand up, though she regretted it as soon as she stood upright. Her head began to feel dizzy and she felt her knees weaken before she felt herself falling backwards to the rock she had previously sat on. But before she felt the impact of the tough stone on her body, she felt a cold hand on each of her shoulders, slowly placing her back, gently, to the stone seat.

"Are you okay?" It was a man's voice. It was smooth and somehow sort of mesmerising, she thought.

"I'm fine. Who…are you?" Suddenly, even although this man had saved her, Bella began to panic. She was in the middle of the woods in the pitch black, with a man she did not know. She felt her heart begin to race, but she didn't say a word. Although it was dark, her eyes were beginning to make out the shapes of the trees around her. She could make out the silhouette of the man before her too. He took a few steps back, as if he could feel her unease.

"I'm Edward. Come on, we better get you out of the woods." Before she could go anywhere she wanted to know more about this man, although it terrified her to ask more.

"How did you rescue me? And why?" Bellas voice hurt as she spoke.

"I was nearby and saw the fire."

"So you decided to walk into the blaze?"

"I saw you. I couldn't just leave you there." Bella realised that she owed her life to this man, and she hadn't even thanked him. All she had done was question his motives for doing a good deed.

"Sorry. I…thank you. I'm Bella."

"Let's get you home to Charlie, then, Bella."

"How do you know my dads name?" Bella's heart began to race again. She couldn't help but think the worst of this man. Probably because she couldn't see his face.

"He's the Chief of Police. Everyone knows your dad." Bella took a minute to think about his answer before she spoke again. She watched his silhouette move away from her to lean against a thick tree to the right.

"Come on then, lets go." Bella stood up, even more careful than last time. Luckily she didn't fall back down again. She took a few steps forward before turning back to Edward. "Which way?" she asked.

"This way." Bella squinted into the darkness to make out the way Edward was moving and followed him. Before even reaching her tenth step, she caught her foot in the underbrush and tripped forwards. She threw her arms out in front of her to try and soften the blow.

"Ow!" she pulled herself up, more embarrassed than anything, and dusted her mud covered hands over her jeans.

"Are you okay? I can carry you again if you want?" Edward asked. Bella was flattered that he would offer, but of course, she couldn't let him.

"It's okay. I'll just be more careful."

"We'll get out of the woods a lot quicker if you let me carry you." Edward took a step back in her direction, and Bellas heart began to race again. She still was uncomfortable being in the dark with this stranger…even if he had saved her life. "…Or you could climb on my back…if you want."

"Doing that will just strain you, and we'll end up being in here even longer than if I just walked." Bella said as she started to walk forward again.

Bella and Edward barely spoke as they walked together. Bella noticed that Edward was always a few steps in front of her and realised she was slowing him down. She could feel her feet become heavy, and her eyes getting more tired as she took each step. She had no idea what time it was. When she slipped for the fifth time into the mud she just sat there for a moment.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked again.

"I'm not hurt. I'm just tired."

"Bella, let me carry you, we don't have far to go now anyway." She succumbed to his offer and pulled herself to her feet.

"Okay, but put me down if you get tired."

"Deal." Edward helped Bella climb up onto his back and when her arms were locked around his shoulders and legs around his waist he began to run. Bella noted that it wasn't as fast as she had previously thought when she awoke after the fire, but it was faster than average. She slipped her arms up closer to his neck, but she was careful not to strangle him. She could feel that he had a shirt on, which had the top few buttons undone. Her fingers grazed his chest accidentally as they moved and his skin was hard and smooth…and ice cold.

"You're freezing." She said. But he didn't answer. She didn't want to say anything else so she kept her mouth shut and kept her eyes forward. Everything was quiet, even this footsteps weren't loud on the earth below them. He wasn't even out of breath yet.

Soon there was a light ahead from the street lamps shining through the trees.

They emerged from the woods just down the street from Bellas house. Edward placed Bella easily onto the path so she could walk home. In the street light, Bella wanted to get a look at Edwards face. But he was still a few paces ahead of her, walking towards her house.

"Charlie will be worried about you. Better hurry home."

"Edward." Bella stood still as Edward paced on ahead. When she said his name, he stopped, and slowly turned back to face her.

Bella was lost for words. She had never seen anyone like this boy before. By the way he spoke, the way he carried her through the woods and his courage to venture into the fire to save her, she had assumed that he was an older man, maybe in this twenties. But this boy was no older than she was. And his skin was flawless and pale. He had bronze hair that was slightly tousled.

"Bella? Are you alright?" Edward asked when Bella did not speak. His voice snapped her back to reality.

"…Yeah. I, uh, just wanted to see your face, I suppose." Bella felt embarrassed but she caught Edward smiling a crooked smile that made her heart race.

"Come on, let's get you back to Charlie."

Bella and Edward walked side by side along Bella's street. Edward was no longer a few paces ahead, but they walked in sync with one another.

Suddenly, when Bella's house was just coming into sight Edward stopped walking. Bella turned to look at him, confused.

"Come on, my house is just over there." She said, pointing with her finger, and for the first time realising the crowd gathered outside her house and the flashing lights of the fire brigade.

"I better get home, it's getting late." Edward said, starting back the way they had just walked.

"Are you sure? I can drive you home if you just give me a minute. My trucks at the house. It's really the least I can do." Bella didn't want him to go so soon. She barely even knew him, and she wanted to know him more. He didn't even go to her school, she would have noticed him before. He must be home schooled, or maybe go out of town.

"It's okay. Honestly. I will walk." Edward smiled and took a half step toward Bella. "I'm glad you're okay, Bella." Then he quickly turned and walked in the opposite direction.

"Thanks, I guess." Bella breathed the words quietly as Edward was walking away. He looked back at her once as he walked, as if he had heard her. She watched as he walked away, wondering if she would ever see him again.

After Edward walked around the corner and was out of sight, Bella turned to make her way back to her house. As she done so she slammed into Sam Uley's huge frame.

"Oof! Sam! Sorry I didn't realise you were there." Bella said stepping back to look at him. Sam was from La Push, and knew Jacob and his friends. He was older than them, probably around 25. Bella got the impression that they didn't like Sam that much, which made her wonder why he was here.

"Bella. Charlie has been looking for you. Get home, now." Sam spoke in an authoritative tone, which made Bella feel like _he_ was her dad. She didn't even have the guts to speak back to him. Sam was much like Jacob and the rest of the Quileute, except he was probably the tallest of them all. Bella reckoned it was because he was older as she walked silently beside him.

Bella could pick out Jacob, pacing back and forth outside her house. She could see Charlie, looking worried as he leaned over the hood of the cruiser. Other officers from the police department were walking around, cordoning off the obvious entrances to the woods. Jacobs' dad, Billy, was beside Charlie, and it was he that first spotted Bella and Sam.

Charlie quickly looked up and a wave of relief covered over his face as he raced in her direction.

"Bella! I'm so glad you're okay." Said Charlie as he grappled Bella into a bear hug.

"I'm sorry." Bella said into her father's chest. He wasn't letting go of her, but she could see Jacob and Billy behind him. And although she couldn't see him, she was aware Sam was still stood behind her. She noticed something odd, when Billy gave the slightest of nods toward where Sam would be standing, but it she didn't think it important and looked at Jacob. He didn't look happy either.

Charlie let go of Bella and just by the look that now covered his face, she knew he was over the relief and it was now anger that filled him. She knew it was going to be a long night, Charlie would shout at her for as long as he thought necessary, then she would be grounded. But despite this she couldn't stop thinking about Edward.

That night, after Charlie had given his verdict of being grounded for "the rest of your life", Bella made her way to her room. She knew that eventually, Charlie would calm down, and realise that it wasn't like Bella to skip school and purposely set fires in the woods, and would let her off of her grounding.

Bella sat in her room reading over and over the same page in her tattered copy of Romeo and Juliet. She knew the play inside out, but tonight it wouldn't sink in. She finally put the book down and let out a sigh. Her clock told it was already 1.15am. But she couldn't sleep. Edward was still on her mind. She had tried sleeping, and even though she was tired, she just couldn't shut her mind down.

She had so many questions about him running through her mind. Who was he? Why did he save her? How could he run so easily with her in his arms? Charlie hadn't even asked how she got out of the woods. Surely he would want to thank Edward if he knew? Surely Charlie knew something about him, considering Edward knew he Charlie was. Bella decided that after school tomorrow, she would tell Charlie about Edward.

She put out her bedside light, curled under the bedcovers, closed her eyes and waited for sleep to consume her.


End file.
